Red-breasted Merganser, Male
It is said that the Red-breasted Merganser is less frequently seen along the smaller streams than is the larger Merganser. Both species eat fish and therefore are not considered as of much value for food.
Other Names.—Shelldrake; Fish Duck.
Description.—Bill long and narrow, with teeth on both mandibles. Male: Head, neck, back, and tail black; a high, fan-shaped crest on head strikingly marked with white; speculum white; sides rufous, finely barred with black; breast and belly white; eyes bright yellow. Female: Dull brown, somewhat brighter on the thin crest, and grayer on head and neck; upper throat, belly, and speculum white; eyes brown. Length: 18 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common and regular as a migrant from March 25 to April 15 and from October 25 to December 10. It has been noted in summer locally, so there is a possibility that it nests, though there are no definite records at present.
Hooded Merganser, Male
The male Hooded Merganser is one of our most striking birds and cannot easily be confused with any other species. The Hooded Merganser may be found along a quiet stretch of a small stream where the handsome males, at rest, do not display their high crests. In such mood the head has much the appearance of that of the other species of Fish Duck—thin, long, and snake-like. When rising, the birds beat their wings with amazing rapidity, the white speculum in the wings flickering brilliantly. This species is not so often found in swift water as are the Merganser and Red-breasted Merganser.
Other Names.—Gray Mallard; Wild Duck.
Description.—Male: Head and neck rich glossy green, with violet reflections; neck with striking white collar; back and wings gray; speculum violet, bordered with black and white; rump, and upper and under tail-coverts black; tail feathers whitish; breast rich glossy chestnut; sides gray, finely barred; belly white; bill yellow; feet bright pink. Female: Mottled and streaked all over with grayish brown; speculum as in male; bill dull greenish yellow; feet dull pink. Length: 23 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Common and regular as a migrant from March 1 to May 20 and from October 1 to December 15; nests locally and uncommonly, chiefly in swampy regions or along small upgrown streams.
Nest.—Built in a depression under a bush or in high grass, usually near the water, and lined with down. Eggs: 6 to 15, pale greenish buff. Duck eggs are usually glossy in appearance.
Mallard, Male
The Mallard, best known of our ducks, is the ancestor of several domestic strains of water-fowl. It is usually found in flocks along the shallow margins of streams, where it procures its food by nibbling along the bottom while its tail protrudes from the water.
The white tail and red feet of the male, which contrast with the gray of the back and wings, are good field-marks as the flock hurriedly rises and makes away.
Other Names.—Black Mallard; Dusky Mallard.
Description.—Sexes similar; general appearance dark brown, darkest on top of head and on back, all feathers margined with brownish buff; cheeks buffy, streaked with black; speculum rich violet, bordered with black, and, at tips of feathers, with white; under-wing plumage white; bill greenish; feet dusky in Black Duck; bright red in the Red-legged Black Duck. Length: 22 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common migrant from March 1 to May 10 and from October 1 to December 25; uncommon and local as a summer resident, chiefly near lakes or quiet stretches in streams. Nest and eggs like those of the Mallard.
Black Duck, Male
Two forms of the Black Duck occur in Pennsylvania: The smaller, duller Black Duck as a migrant occurs at about the same time as the Mallard and nests locally. The Red-legged Black Duck (Anas rubripes rubripes), a summer bird of Labrador, comes south later in the fall, and has been known even to occur in the northern part of the State in late December, so there is a probability that this form occasionally winters when the water is free of ice.
Both the Mallard and Black Duck quack loudly, like domestic ducks, particularly when they are surprised. Large, dark-colored ducks which show white under the wings as they fly off are likely to be Black Ducks.
Other Name.—Gray Duck.
Description.—Smaller than Mallard. Male: Top of head with low, fluffy crest, mottled with rufous and black; sides of head and neck buffy, streaked and spotted with black; breast and lower neck black, each feather with a central spot and border of white which gives a remarkably beautiful scaled appearance; back gray-brown; rump and upper and under tail-coverts black; breast and belly whitish; sides finely barred with blackish, lesser wing-coverts chestnut; speculum white; feet yellow. Female: Similar but duller, and with chest and sides buffy, thickly spotted with blackish; underparts white, more or less spotted with black, and with little or no chestnut on the lesser wing-coverts. Length: 20 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A rare and irregular migrant from about March 10 to April 30 and from September 25 to October 30. This is one of our rarer ducks.
Gadwall, Male
I have found the yellow feet of this species to be a fairly good field-mark, but in the swimming birds the white speculum, though it be nearly covered by the flank-feathers, is a reliable feature. Gadwalls feed in shallow water, as do their close relatives, the Black Duck and Mallard, and they often feed at night. Definite records of this species in Pennsylvania are desirable.
Other Names.—Widgeon; American Widgeon.
Description.—Male: Top of head white or buffy; sides of crown back of eye glossy green, spotted with black; rest of head buffy, finely streaked and spotted with black; breast and sides pinkish brown, the sides finely and thickly barred with black; belly white; back gray-brown, finely barred black; bill blue-gray. Female: Head and neck pale buffy, finely streaked with black; breast and sides dull pinkish brown, washed with grayish; belly white; back grayish brown, barred irregularly with buffy; greater wing-coverts brownish gray, their outer webs mostly or entirely white, their tips black, sometimes edged with white; greater under wing-coverts white. Length: 19 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Rather common as a migrant from March 1 to August 15 and from October 1 to November 1, sometimes abundant, particularly along the larger streams.
Baldpate, Male
The white crown-patch of the male Baldpate not only has given this bird its name but also furnishes an excellent field-mark. The pinkish brown breast and sides are somewhat diagnostic also, though this color is not usually seen to good advantage in the field. The call-note is said to be “a sort of whew, whew, whew.” Baldpates are, as a rule, shallow-water feeders.
The European Widgeon (Mareca penelope) should be looked for in Pennsylvania. The male has a buffy crown. The under wing-coverts of the female are barred, whereas in the female Baldpate the greater under wing-coverts are white.
Other Name.—Mud Teal.
Description.—Small for a Duck, being about half as large as a domestic Duck. Male: Head, with flowing crest, chestnut, an area around and back of eye to nape glossy green, bordered below with a thin whitish line; chin black; upperparts gray, finely barred with black; speculum green, bordered with black and buffy; middle under tail-coverts black, lateral ones creamy; breast and sides pinkish brown, finely barred with black, a white bar on side of breast; belly white or buffy, spotted, sometimes irregularly, with blackish. Female: Top of head blackish, feathers edged with rufous; sides of head and neck white, heavily streaked with black; upperparts blackish, all feathers margined with buffy; green speculum on wing, as in male; underparts considerably mottled—not barred as in male. Length: 14½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant from March 20 to April 20 and from September 25 to November 10, often found along smaller streams. Locally, as at Conneaut Lake and at Erie, it is common during the height of migration.
Green-winged Teal, Male
The Teals are our smallest ducks. Their size and remarkably swift flight make them comparatively easy to identify, save in foggy weather when the apparent size of birds in the field is apt to be misleading. The Green-wing feeds like the Mallard and Black Duck, by “tipping” in shallow water and plucking food from the bottom.
Blue-winged Teal, Male
Description.—Size small, as in Green-wing. Male: Head dark blue-gray with violet reflections; crown dark brown; chin and sides of base of bill blackish; a crescent-shaped patch of white in front of eye; back brown, barred and mottled with black; breast white, buffy, or rusty, heavily spotted with black; lesser and middle wing-coverts gray-blue, forming a conspicuous color-area, particularly in flight; speculum glossy green. Female and immature: Crown dark brown, irregularly streaked with grayish; sides of head and neck grayish, streaked with black; throat whitish; breast and belly usually whitish spotted and margined with blackish; speculum glossy green. Length: 16 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant from April 15 to May 15 and from September 1 to October 15, sometimes quite common. It may nest occasionally in marshy situations.
The blue lesser wing-coverts of this species are fairly easy to recognize, even at a considerable distance. It is relatively silent while it is passing through Pennsylvania; the Green-wing is more voluble. At Wildwood Lake, near Harrisburg, Blue-winged Teals occur with some regularity along a marshy neck of land which protrudes into the lake at the mouth of an inflowing stream. Here the birds rest quietly, feeding in early morning and toward evening, and flying about only when they are disturbed. They are usually mated by the time they reach this latitude in the spring.
Other Name.—Spoonbill Duck.
Description.—Comparatively small, but larger than the Teals. Bill very large and broad, noticeably so even at considerable distance in the field. Male: Head and neck rich black, glossed with green and violet; line down back of neck and back dark brown; belly and sides rich chestnut; lesser wing-coverts gray-blue, as in the Blue-winged Teal, the greater coverts brownish, tipped with white; speculum green; upper and under tail-coverts black; eyes yellow; feet pink. Female: Head and neck streaked with black and buffy bars; throat buffy; underparts buffy, feathers margined and spotted with dark brown and buffy; feet orange-pink, paler than in male; eyes brown; bill greenish yellow, blotched with brownish. Immature birds are intermediate in appearance between the adult male and adult female. The immature female’s speculum is noticeably grayish, with little green. Length: 20 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Rather rare migrant from March 1 to April 15 and from September 15 to November 1. Not usually seen in large flocks.
Shoveler, Male
The huge bill of this species will distinguish it in any plumage. Its blue wing-coverts have much the appearance of those of the Blue-winged Teal.
Other Names.—Sprig; Sprig-tail; Spike-tail.
Description.—Neck long and slender in both sexes. Male in mating plumage, which is characteristic of the winter months: Head warm brown, glossed faintly on cheeks with violet; back of neck blackish, bordered by white stripes which run down sides of neck to breast; back brownish gray; shoulders black, margined with white or buffy; wing brownish gray, the greater coverts tipped with cinnamon; speculum green, bordered narrowly with white; central tail-feathers very long and narrow, black; underparts white; sides heavily marked with fine lines of black. Female: Crown blackish, irregularly marked with rich brown; throat white; sides of head and neck considerably streaked; breast buffy, spotted with blackish; feathers of sides margined and barred with dark brown and white; under wing-coverts dark brown, bordered with whitish. The male in summer breeding dress resembles the female. Length: Male, 28 inches, in full, long-tailed plumage; female, 22 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant from March 1 to April 15 and from September 20 to December 15. It has even been known to winter in the northern part of the Commonwealth.
Pintail
Male Female
The female, while not strikingly marked, may be recognized by the long neck, the sharply pointed middle tail-feathers, and by the dark under wing-coverts. Pintails are swift fliers, and have the ability of rising straight into the air from a pond or from the ground.
Wood Duck
Female Male
Description.—Smaller than Mallard; both sexes with crest, smaller in female than in male. Male: Head and crest rich glossy green, with violet and blue reflections; a line from bill over eye, a line along side of crest, and other lines in flowing feathers of crest, white; throat, a band from it up cheeks, and a wide band at nape, white; breast and an area at either side of base of tail, chestnut, the breast spotted with white; band on breast in front of wing, white; sides buffy, finely barred with black, the long flank-feathers tipped with striking bands of black and white; back greenish brown; scapulars blackish, glossed with steel-blue and greenish; speculum steel-blue tipped with white; primaries tipped with greenish blue; tail blue-black; eyes red; bill dusky, white, and red; feet yellowish. Female: Area below and back of eye, and throat, white; crown brown, glossed with purplish; sides of head ashy brown; breast and sides grayish, streaked and mottled with brownish; belly white; back olive-brown, glossed with greenish; the inner primaries tipped with greenish blue. The immature resembles the adult female. The male in eclipse plumage, which he assumes during late summer, is similar to the female. Length: 18½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common as a migrant and summer resident throughout, arriving in early April and remaining until November 1. Commoner than most species of this family along the smaller streams.
Nest.—In a cavity in a tree. Eggs: 7 to 15, buffy white.
The male Wood Duck, thought by many to be the most beautiful American bird, is a gorgeous creature. It is little wonder that an Indian legend tells us that a little gray duck, while on a search for happiness, swam into the end of the rainbow and came forth the brilliant creature we now call the Wood Duck.
Agile almost as a perching bird, these ducks run about on the ground, snapping up insects, or swim buoyantly in quiet pools near the woodland they have selected as their summer home. In a cavity in a tree, sometimes at considerable distance from the water and at quite a height from the ground, the down-lined nest is built.
The young birds, it is said, clamber out of the nest and fall to the ground as best they can, without being helped by either parent. Surely, young birds which survive such an ordeal are prepared for the later battles of life!
Wood Ducks are fond of acorns and of the seeds of many aquatic plants. The young birds, like the adults, are amazingly agile and run about like young chickens, bright-eyed, attractive, and so small as to be fairly ludicrous as they race into the water for a swim!
Description.—Head high, rising abruptly from bill; both sexes with tendency toward fluffy, round crest. Male: Entire head bright rufous, glossed with purplish; lower neck, all around, breast, and upper back, blackish; rest of back and scapulars finely barred with wavy black and white lines of equal width; wing-coverts brownish gray; wings gray, without a noticeable speculum; upper and under tail-coverts black; belly white, lower belly more or less barred like back; sides barred as in back; eyes yellow; bill blue-gray. Female: Upperparts dark grayish brown, darker on wings, all feathers more or less margined with buffy or ashy; neck buffy, somewhat mottled; breast and sides gray-brown, washed or margined with buffy; belly and under tail-coverts somewhat suffused with buffy; eyes brown; bill blackish, with blue-gray band at end. Length: 19 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common as a migrant, noticeably along the larger waterways, from March 1 to April 25 and from October 10 to November 15. Sometimes occurs in great flocks.
Redhead, Male
The high head and yellow eyes distinguish the male Redhead from the male Canvasback, which is otherwise similar in appearance.
Description.—Bill long and gradually sloping up to the head which is long and low, different markedly in this respect from that of the Redhead. Male: Head and neck rufous; chin and crown blackish; lower neck, breast, and upper back, black; back and wing-coverts barred with black and white, the white lines so much wider as to appear, even at some distance, whiter than in the Redhead; belly white, sides finely barred; upper and under tail-coverts and tail, black; eyes reddish brown; bill blackish. Female: Head, neck, breast, and upper back, light rufous; throat pale, the frontparts of head somewhat brighter; back, grayish brown, feathers washed with wavy white lines which the female Redhead does not have; belly white; sides grayish brown, sometimes marked like back. Length: 21 inches. The female is a little smaller than the male.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly common and regular migrant, principally along the larger waterways, usually from March 10 to April 20 and from October 1 to December 15, sometimes abundant; irregular in winter.
Canvasback, Male
The white back of the male Canvasback is noticeable at a distance. The female, which is rather similar to the female Redhead, may always be recognized by the long, rather thin bill and low head.
Other Names.—Blue-bill; Black-head; Raft Duck; Greater Scaup; American Scaup.
Description.—Adult male: Head, neck, breast, and upper back, black, head with greenish reflections; back and scapulars barred with black and white; speculum white; upper and under tail-coverts black; belly white, lower belly and sides finely barred with black; bill blue-gray; eyes yellow. Female: Area about base of bill white; head, neck, upper back, and breast, dark brown, margined with buffy on breast; rest of upperparts somewhat lighter brown; sides brown, marked with wavy white lines; belly and speculum white. Length: 18½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common as a migrant from March 10 to April 25 and from October 1 to December 10. The Scaups are among the species of this family most commonly recorded at reservoirs and along large waterways.
Scaup
Female Male
The two Scaups are not easy to distinguish in the field, and certain identification depends upon the males, for the females are very much alike. The male Scaup’s head shows greenish reflections; the Lesser Scaup’s head is glossed with purplish.
Other Names.—Blue-bill; Black-head; Raft Duck.
Description.—Decidedly similar, in both sexes, to the preceding species, but smaller, and the male’s head with purplish, rather than greenish reflections. The barring of the sides of the Lesser Scaup is stronger than in the Scaup. The females of the two species are practically indistinguishable in the field. Length: 16½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Commoner throughout than the preceding species, although some of our field records may be open to question in view of the similarity of the two. The white speculum, dark head, and blue-gray bill are good field characters to remember.
Other Names.—Blue-bill; Black-head; Raft Duck.
Description.—Both sexes similar to the Scaup and Lesser Scaup in general appearance, differing in the following respects: in the male Ring-neck the chin is white; the head, which has a somewhat higher crest than in either Scaup, is richly glossed with purplish blue; there is a rich brown collar about the neck (not easily noted in the field); the back is blackish, and the speculum is gray, not white; the female Ring-neck may be distinguished from the female Scaups by the gray speculum; the head and neck of the female Ring-neck often has a mottled or spotted appearance. In both sexes the blackish bill, which is crossed near the tip with a whitish band, is an excellent field-mark. If the sun is bright, this band may give the impression that the bird is holding some small shining object in its bill. Length: 16½ inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—While our records tend to indicate that this species is less common than the Scaup or Lesser Scaup, it is probably fairly regular and common as a migrant, occurring at about the same time as the Lesser Scaup.
Other Names.—Cuphead; Whistler.
Description.—Both sexes with short, stubby bills and high heads. Male: Head black, glossed with green; a white spot below and in front of eye; neck, exposed part of wing-coverts, speculum and part of scapulars, and underparts, white; rest of plumage black; eyes yellow. Female: Head brown, neck paler; breast, back, and sides gray; speculum and underparts white; eyes yellow. Length: 20 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant which sometimes occurs in winter when there is open water, but is not often common. It is to be found from March 1 to April 15 and from October 10 to November 30.
Goldeneye, Male
Goldeneyes will sometimes be seen resting on a floating piece of ice. The musical, whistling sound of their beating wings has been responsible for their common name, “Whistler.”
The large head and ludicrously short bill are fairly good field-marks for this species, even at a considerable distance. The strongly contrasting black and white plumage of the male is not easily to be confused with that of any other species.
The Barrow’s Goldeneye (Glaucionetta islandica) is much rarer in Pennsylvania than the Goldeneye. The male has a purplish head and a somewhat crescent-shaped patch in front of and below the eye. His scapulars are marked with white areas along the shafts. Records of this species are very desirable.
Other Names.—Butterball; Dipper Duck.
Description.—About half as large as a Mallard; both sexes with short bills and high, rounded crests, more or less as in the Goldeneye. Male: Head black, glossed handsomely with greenish, purplish, bluish, and fiery orange; a large white band across back of head from eye to eye; lower neck, wing-coverts, speculum, outer scapulars, and underparts, white; back and wings black; lower back and tail grayish; eyes dark brown. Female: Head and upper breast dull brown, patch on either side of head, speculum, and breast and belly, white. Length: 15 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Common, sometimes abundant, as a migrant, from March 15 to April 15 and from October 1 to November 10. It is often seen along the smaller, swifter streams and at small lakes. Mated pairs are usually noted in spring.
The male, like the Wood Duck, is a creature of great beauty. The Bufflehead is a good diver, and can disappear at the wink of an eye with the agility of a grebe. It eats much animal matter, including small fish which it captures while diving. These ducks are often exceedingly fat, and this tendency, as well as the plump roundness of their body, has given them the common name, “Butterball.”
Bufflehead, Male
Other Names.—Old Wife; Sou’ Southerly; Long-tailed Duck.
Description.—Male with very long, narrow, middle tail-feathers, longer than in the Pintail; female without long tail-feathers. Male in winter: Sides of head washed with grayish brown; sides of back of head and upper neck black, more or less margined with buffy; rest of head, neck, upper back, scapulars, and lower belly, white; back and wings, breast, and upper belly, black; bill black with yellowish orange band across end; eyes pale brown. Female: Upper parts dark brown; scapulars and back more or less margined with grayish; sides of head and neck white or whitish; breast gray; belly white. The male in summer has the sides and front of head white; the rest of the plumage is chiefly black, save the belly, which is white. Length: male, 21 inches; female, 16 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A migrant from February 20 to April 10 and from November 1 to December 20, sometimes occurring in winter, and irregularly very abundant. Tremendous flocks have been noted at Conneaut Lake and at Lake Erie.
The Old Squaw is a handsome and noisy species and demands attention wherever it is found. It usually feeds in deep water, and therefore is found but rarely in smaller ponds or along streams. The under wing-coverts are dark, and there is no speculum in the wing. Its rapid flight carries it along, a few feet above the water, at from 35 to 60 miles an hour, perhaps faster, and it alights with a swish. It is an expert diver.
Old Squaw, Winter Plumage
Three species of scoter occur in Pennsylvania. They are diving ducks and are usually to be found only on the larger bodies of water. As a rule, they are not common; they are fond of salt water, and are commonly found in the bays along the Atlantic coast. The adult males all have grotesque and highly colored bills. All scoters are commonly called “Black Ducks” in the interior; along the coast they are called also “Sea Coots.” Scoters will, as a rule, be found in large, raft-like flocks.
Description.—Male: Black, with rich purplish reflections; ridges among feathers of neck, bill black, with knob at base of upper mandible peach-yellow; feet brownish red; eyes dark brown. Female and young: Gray-brown in general appearance, with cheek region whitish, sharply defined from crown; underparts whitish, irregularly barred and mottled with dusky. Length: 19 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Rare migrant and winter visitant from November until early April, commonest, perhaps, at Lake Erie and Conneaut Lake.
American Scoter, Male
This is probably the rarest of the scoters in Pennsylvania; further data are desirable.
Description.—Size large, noticeably larger than a Mallard. Male: Black, with white spot below and at rear of eye, and white speculum; belly and sides rich deep brown; bill orange, with long knob, black at base, feathers reaching forward on it far beyond corners of mouth; feet red; eyes white. Female and immature: Deep brown, lighter below; speculum white; spot at base of bill and ear-coverts whitish, not always clearly defined. Length: 22 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—As a rule, rare, save at Lake Erie and Conneaut Lake where it is sometimes fairly common during late fall; it is rarer in spring than in fall.
White-winged Scoter, Male
The white speculum of this large, heavy species will serve to identify it at some distance.
Description.—Larger than Mallard. Male: Black, with square crown-patch and triangular nape-patch of white; feet red; bill marked with red, white, and yellow, a black spot near base; eyes white. Female and immature: A whitish spot at base of bill and on ear-coverts, much as in the White-winged Scoter; upperparts dark brown; throat, breast, and sides grayer; belly white. Length: 20 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Like the White-winged Scoter, rare, save at Conneaut Lake and Lake Erie where it is a fairly common fall and rare spring migrant, which sometimes occurs during the winter. Scoters are occasionally seen along the Susquehanna and the Delaware rivers, but they are not, as a rule, either common or regular.
Surf Scoter, Male
The strange shape and color-pattern of the bills of male scoters will distinguish them at once in hand. They are given to flocking and, as they feed, most of the flock may disappear for seconds at a time, to bob up buoyantly as others of the flock slip under.
Other Names.—Butterball; Bullhead; Bullneck; Dipper Duck.
Description.—Both sexes with thick necks, short upper tail-coverts, and stiff tails; about half as large as a Mallard. Male: Crown black; cheeks and chin white; throat, neck, and back rich rufous; lower back and tail blackish; breast and belly silvery white, somewhat mottled along sides; bill pale gray-blue; eyes black. Female and immature: Upperparts dark grayish brown, feathers marked with narrow, wavy, buffy bars; sides of head and upper throat whitish; lower throat and neck grayish; underparts silvery white. Length: 15 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common and regular as a migrant, sometimes abundant, from April 1 to May 15 and from October 1 to November 15. It is seen along smaller as well as larger waterways where it may dive readily upon being approached.
Ruddy Duck
Male Female
The Ruddy Duck, with its stiff, upturned tail, is comical in appearance. The male, while in bright breeding plumage, is given to holding himself with a jaunty air. They are expert divers but sometimes have difficulty in rising from the water, for their wings are comparatively small. As they get under way they patter with their great feet while their wings beat the water noisily. The neck of the Ruddy Duck is unusually large for a duck. The head may even be pushed back into the skin of the neck; in most ducks the circumference of the neck is noticeably less than that of the head at its greatest diameter.
Other Names.—Wild Goose; Honker.
Description.—Size large, about that of a domestic Goose, with about the same proportions; sexes similar. Head and neck black, a broad band under eye, and across throat, white; upperparts brownish gray, the feathers margined with a lighter shade, giving a somewhat scaled appearance; breast and sides gray-brown, more or less as in back; belly white; rump and tail black; upper tail-coverts white. Feet and bill black; eyes dark brown. Length: About 3 feet.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A regular and sometimes common migrant from mid-February to early April and from October 15 to November 30, sometimes occurring in winter, even when ice covers the lakes, at which times the great birds stand about on the frozen surface. As a rule, Canada Geese do not stop long in Pennsylvania; most flocks do not linger here at all, merely passing over.
Canada Goose
For us, since the days of our forefathers, and for the Red Man who originally inhabited Penn’s Woods, the V-shaped spring flocks of Canada Geese have heralded the breaking up of the winter, and, in the fall, the coming of the cold season. Canada Geese migrate both by day and night, but they are noticed at night more often than by day because in the comparative stillness of the dark hours their loud, musical bugling drifts down to us as we lie awake, thrilled at the sound. Could we see the great birds, could we know the distant clime toward which they are heading, some of the mystery might be dispelled; but their long journey, their great bodies speeding along at 60 miles an hour or more, and their wide, swishing wings are only suggested by the clamor and challenge that comes to us, holds us spellbound, then gradually dies away as the flock passes on.
Canada Geese are not so aquatic in habit as are ducks. Large flocks often descend to the fields where they feed upon grass or sprouting grain and where they walk about in a dignified fashion.
It is supposed that an old gander always leads the migration flocks. While this may not be the case, it is reasonable to assume that adult birds, with their experience and intelligence, should determine the movements of the flock. Canada Geese sometimes fly in a line, sometimes abreast, but the V-formation is characteristic.
The Greater Snow Goose (Chen hyperboreus nivalis), a white bird with black wing-tips, sometimes flies across Pennsylvania. It has been recorded once or twice in huge flocks. The White-fronted Goose (Aner albifrons gambelli), a gray goose with a white area at the base of the bill, black spots on the belly, and yellow feet, occurs rarely. The Brant (Branta bernicla glaucogastra), smallest of our geese and similar to the Canada Goose but with only a suggestion of a white band on the neck, occurs rarely. It is a maritime species, not often noted inland.
Description.—Size very large; neck extremely long, and wing-spread sometimes as much as 6 to 7 feet; sexes similar. Adults: Pure white; bill and feet black, a small yellow spot at base of upper mandible just in front of eye; eyes brown. Young birds are pale brownish gray in color, usually darkest on the head and neck. As the immature plumage is replaced by the adult plumage, a vague mottling appears. Length: About 4½ feet.
Range in Pennsylvania.—A fairly regular migrant along the larger waterways; rare and irregular elsewhere; occasional in winter. It is usually seen in early spring from March 20 to April 15 and from October 15 to December 1.
A flock of swans flying in the sunlight is an inspiring spectacle. The birds are so large and their plumage so immaculate that they attract attention everywhere.
They sometimes migrate in immense flocks. In storms or on foggy nights they may become bewildered and descend to smaller streams, but, as a rule, they are found only along large open stretches of water.
At Harrisburg, swans sometimes spend the winter along the Susquehanna when the water is open.
The Trumpeter Swan (Olor buccinator), always a very rare bird in the eastern United States, and of late thought to be on the verge of extermination, is even larger than the Whistling Swan. The bill of this species is entirely black, lacking the yellow spot which is characteristic of the adult Whistling Swan and being of a different shape.
Other Names.—Thunder-pump; Bum Cluck; Stake-Driver; Plum Pudd’n.
Description.—Sexes similar; larger than Crow. Upperparts brown, considerably mottled, streaked, and barred with black; a glossy black streak from corners of mouth down sides of neck; throat white; neck and breast marked with broad buffy brown streaks, which are mottled with brownish gray, in imitation of dead cat-tail leaves; belly buffy; feet greenish; bill greenish yellow at base, blackish at tip; eyes bright yellow. Length: 28 inches, with neck stretched out.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Fairly common migrant and summer resident, nesting only in marshy situations. It arrives in early April and leaves in late September or early October.
Nest.—A platform of cat-tail leaves and stalks, or other dead vegetation, usually placed in a remote section of some marsh, among rather high weeds. Eggs: 3 to 5, pale buffy brown.
American Bittern
The Bittern is a terrestrial heron and rarely alights in trees. It may be confused with the immature Black-crowned Night Heron, which, unlike the Bittern, often perches on a prominent branch or on a tree top.
To know the Bittern one must penetrate the swamp. From the cat-tails, a great brown bird arises, green feet awkwardly dangling. Rapidly the creature makes away, once it has started; perhaps it utters a startled squawk as it jumps from the grass.
In the spring, male Bitterns have a remarkable courtship ceremony which is accompanied by the queer sounds which have given the bird most of its common names. These names, most of which are very good renditions of the queer sounds the birds give, are: “Bum Cluck” or “Plum Pudd’n.” The familiar nicknames, “Stake-Driver” and “Thunder-Pump” also suggest the sounds. While they give these sounds, the male birds inflate their necks and fluff out their feathers, as they strut and bow, and snap their bills.
The sitting mother bird depends greatly upon her remarkably protective coloration. Taken unawares, the hunting Bittern will stand erect with bill pointing skyward, realizing that its dull colors, its streaked breast, and its sharp bill all resemble cat-tail leaves. The eyes of a Bittern are so arranged that the bird can point its bill straight up yet at the same time look directly at us as we approach. Its golden-yellow eyes have a serpentine appearance.
Young Bitterns, in their ragged natal down, are odd creatures. They clamber about their crude cradle, soon developing remarkable strength in toes and feet.
The Bittern and young Black-crowned Night Heron are our only large, brown herons; the Bittern has yellow eyes; the young Black-crown has dark brown eyes.
Description.—Size very small, body hardly as heavy as that of a Robin; proportions those of a heron, however, with long bill and feet and short tail. Male: Crown, which has a crest, back, and tail, glossy black; back of neck chestnut; lesser wing-coverts buffy; greater wing-coverts and secondaries chestnut, darker than neck; underparts buffy, somewhat streaked on neck with white and fine lines of brownish; a black patch at each side of breast; throat, line along sides of back and of breast, and under tail-coverts, whitish; feet yellowish green; bill yellowish, tipped with dusky; eyes yellow. Female and immature: Similar, but black of crown and back less glossy, coloration throughout less striking. Length: 13 inches.
Range in Pennsylvania.—Rather rare migrant and summer resident, save locally, when it nests in cat-tail swamps and similar situations. Its date of arrival is open to question since the birds are so silent and retiring as to pass for the most part unobserved. They probably come in mid-April and leave in late September.
Nest.—A platform of cat-tail stalks and similar materials built on the ground, or a few inches above the ground, or in weeds above the water, and surrounded by high weeds and grasses. Eggs: 3 to 6, pale blue.
The Least Bittern is one of our quietest, most retiring birds, and is therefore but little known. It may occur regularly in cat-tail swamps where it has never been seen, simply because no one ventures into its damp, shadowy home among the high, green blades.